Syllabus and general information for MCS-287: Organization and
Theory of Programming Languages (Spring 2009)

Overview

This course will help you learn how programming languages are
designed, specified, and implemented. You will learn both about broad
areas of commonality that underlie many superficially different
languages and about the critical distinctions between langauges that
may at first glance seem similar. Although we will spend some time
working with a few example languages, the goal is not to make you a
master of these languages, but rather to give you ways to think about languages, which will serve you well as you encounter future languages.

Office hours

I will be available in my office (OHS 303) 10:30-11:20 on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays,
and Fridays as well as by
appointment. Or try your luck: just stop by and see whether my door
is open.
You may send me electronic mail at max@gustavus.edu or call me at
extension 7466. I'll try to put any updates to my office
hours on my web page, so check
there if in doubt.

Prerequisites

This course has MCS-178 and MCS-236 as prerequisites. In MCS-178
you previewed several topics we cover in this course: grammars,
evaluation, the stack-oriented use of a
computer's memory to support recursive procedure invocations, and the contrast
between object-oriented and functional programming. From MCS-236, you should be comfortable with basic mathematical concepts and notations, such as sets, functions, and relations.

Tests

There will be two intra-term tests (one take-home, one in-class) as shown on the
syllabus and a final exam as scheduled by the
registrar. If you have a conflict with a testing time, please
contact me as soon as possible to make an alternative arrangement.

Exams will be closed-book and mostly closed-notes. You may, however, use a
single 8 1/2 by 11 sheet of paper with hand-written notes for
reference. (Both sides of the sheet are OK.)

Labs

Some days, shown in the syllabus, we will meet in the OHS 326
computer lab rather than in the usual classroom. Each lab assignment
will also require you to spend additional time out of class.

Honor

You are expected to be familiar with the college academic honesty
honor code policy and to comply with that policy. If you have any
questions about it, please ask.

Mastery homework

The syllabus shows due dates for eight homework assignments; each will
typically consist of a few problems. You must turn in all the
problems in an assignment by that assignment's due date, but may turn
in individual problems earlier if you wish. I will mark each problem
as "mastered" or "not yet mastered," and return them to you as rapidly
as I can. For those not yet mastered, I may write some brief
indication of what area needs work, but you should really take these
as an invitation to come talk. You may turn in a revised version of
each problem (with the previous graded version attached) however many times it takes to reach the "mastered"
point, even after the original due date. The only restrictions are
these:

You must have submitted an initial attempt by the original due
date.

No revision will be accepted for homeworks 1 and 2 after 1:30pm
March 5th, for homeworks 3 through 6 after 1:30pm April 21st, or for homeworks
7 and
8 after 1:30pm May 19th. These cutoff dates are intentionally
synchronized with the test review days; the point of the homeworks is to prepare
you for the tests.

Note that if you turn in each homework problem as soon as you can do
it, rather than saving them for the assignment due dates, you will
have more opportunity for revision and resubmission before the cutoff
dates listed above. Particularly for the last homeworks before each
cutoff date (and test), I can't guarantee you'll have time for a
revision cycle otherwise.

The homework portion of your course grade will simply be determined by
the fraction of the homework problems you eventually mastered.

Late assignments

All lab assignments are due at the beginning of class on
the day indicated. Late lab assignments will be penalized by one “grade
notch” (such as A to A- or A- to B+) for each weekday late or fraction
thereof. However, no late assignments will be accepted after graded
assignments are handed back or solutions are distributed.

If you are too sick to complete an assignment on time, you
will not be penalized. Simply write “late due to illness” at the
top of the assignment, sign your name and hand it in. Other circumstances
will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Grade changes

Please point out any arithmetic or clerical error I make in grading,
and I will gladly fix it. You may also request reconsideration if I
have been especially unjust.

Grading

The course components will contribute to your grade in the following
proportion:

Test 1: 18%

Test 2: 18%

Final exam: 20%

Homework: 20% (based on fraction done: see above)

Labs: 24% (4 @ 6% each)

However, I reserve the right to
subjectively adjust your final grade. Please see me if you have any
question how you stand. Class participation is not graded; however,
it allows you to find and repair the gaps in your understanding before
doing the assignments, and thus can dramatically improve your grade.
You are responsible for all course material, whether or not you are
present when it was covered or distributed.

Style guidelines

All assignments should be readily readable and should
not presuppose that I already know what you are trying to say. Use
full English sentences where appropriate (namely almost everywhere)
and clear diagrams, programs, etc. Remember that your goal is to
communicate clearly and that the appearance of these technical items
plays a role in this communication process. Be sure your assignments
are always stapled together and that your name is always on them.

Accessibility

If you have a learning, psychological, or physical disability for
which a reasonable accommodation can be made, I would be happy to refer
you to the college's disability services coordinator and to cooperate
in the accommodation process. It is generally best if this can be done
as soon as possible.